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Sunday, December 4, 2011
Weekend Review
Friday Evening: Joel and I met Quin at Dish for dinner. We learned that Quin LOVES green beans and salmon patties. We do not have a picky eater at all. I am very thankful for this.
Saturday Morning: Quin woke up early (uh). He and I played around and had a quick breakfast of yogurt with banana. At around 9:30 we left home to run some errands. First we started at Flying Biscuit where Joel and I got some breakfast (Quin was asleep). Then we went to Toys and Co to check out some ideas for Christmas for Quin. I can't decide what I would like to get him. After that we headed to Kixx to get Quin his first pair of shoes. Since he isn't walking yet, we still were able to get shoes that are sized like his clothing. They told us once he is walking they'll measure his feet to get his shoe size. Though we have a little peanut in terms of height/weight, he is definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to his feet. We couldn't even get the 6-12 month shoes on! He ended up buying a pair of 12-18 month shoes and a pair of 18-24. They were buy 1 get 1 half off so it seemed to make sense. I actually think he likes wearing the shoes because it's easier for him to stand up and move around. After we got his shoes we went to Dilworth Parks and Rec for our first Music Together class. I wasn't sure how Quin would react to being around so many other kids, but he dove right in. As soon as I got his coat off he went to visit a little boy named Myles. Myles is about a month older than Quin. Then a little girl named Brynn came in. She is also a month older than Quin. Quin headed right over to see her. They had fun trying to touch each other's faces. When Ms. Liz started playing her guitar Quin was totally enraptured. He had a great time listening to the songs and playing with the different instruments. Joel and I enjoyed having this experience with him. I enjoyed meeting other working moms with kids Quin's age. This will definitely be something for us to look forward to each week.
Saturday Afternoon/Evening: Quin took a great nap after Music Together. While he was napping I went shopping. Our refrigerator was completely empty so it was quite a big shopping day. I also picked up some basics from Target. After I got home and everything was put away, we loaded back up and went to McGill Rose Garden to pick out our Christmas tree. It was really nice because they didn't have a huge selection, but had enough choices that I felt like I could think about which tree would be best for our house. Even better was that the garden is only about 12 blocks from our house so we didn't have to drive far with the tree. When we got home Joel got it in the base, we strung the lights and I put ornaments on. Quin only destroyed one ornament so that was a plus. He's been really respectful of the tree, but definitely likes feeling the texture of the branches. This year I only put silver ornaments on the tree. I think it could probably use some more, but it's a decent start. I know our ornament collection will probably grow quite a bit as Quin gets older and starts making ornaments for us to hang on the tree!
Sunday: Quin let us sleep in!!!! None of us got up until about 8:00. It felt absolutely wonderful! We had a lazy morning. I fixed banana oatmeal pancakes for breakfast. We made it to church (2 weeks in a row!) and went out to lunch afterwards. Quin and I took a nap together this afternoon. That is a feeling I am really going to miss when he gets older. I love cuddling together on a Sunday afternoon. Joel took him for a walk when he woke up so I could get some work done. I have a little of little things on my plate right now. I am trying to make the most of the next two weeks. I know some people may just be counting down the days until break, but I think we have the opportunity to do some powerful work in this time.
There you have it. Our weekend in in a nutshell. We didn't do everything I wanted to do this weekend, but we were able to find a nice balance of relaxation and fun.
Saturday Morning: Quin woke up early (uh). He and I played around and had a quick breakfast of yogurt with banana. At around 9:30 we left home to run some errands. First we started at Flying Biscuit where Joel and I got some breakfast (Quin was asleep). Then we went to Toys and Co to check out some ideas for Christmas for Quin. I can't decide what I would like to get him. After that we headed to Kixx to get Quin his first pair of shoes. Since he isn't walking yet, we still were able to get shoes that are sized like his clothing. They told us once he is walking they'll measure his feet to get his shoe size. Though we have a little peanut in terms of height/weight, he is definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to his feet. We couldn't even get the 6-12 month shoes on! He ended up buying a pair of 12-18 month shoes and a pair of 18-24. They were buy 1 get 1 half off so it seemed to make sense. I actually think he likes wearing the shoes because it's easier for him to stand up and move around. After we got his shoes we went to Dilworth Parks and Rec for our first Music Together class. I wasn't sure how Quin would react to being around so many other kids, but he dove right in. As soon as I got his coat off he went to visit a little boy named Myles. Myles is about a month older than Quin. Then a little girl named Brynn came in. She is also a month older than Quin. Quin headed right over to see her. They had fun trying to touch each other's faces. When Ms. Liz started playing her guitar Quin was totally enraptured. He had a great time listening to the songs and playing with the different instruments. Joel and I enjoyed having this experience with him. I enjoyed meeting other working moms with kids Quin's age. This will definitely be something for us to look forward to each week.
Saturday Afternoon/Evening: Quin took a great nap after Music Together. While he was napping I went shopping. Our refrigerator was completely empty so it was quite a big shopping day. I also picked up some basics from Target. After I got home and everything was put away, we loaded back up and went to McGill Rose Garden to pick out our Christmas tree. It was really nice because they didn't have a huge selection, but had enough choices that I felt like I could think about which tree would be best for our house. Even better was that the garden is only about 12 blocks from our house so we didn't have to drive far with the tree. When we got home Joel got it in the base, we strung the lights and I put ornaments on. Quin only destroyed one ornament so that was a plus. He's been really respectful of the tree, but definitely likes feeling the texture of the branches. This year I only put silver ornaments on the tree. I think it could probably use some more, but it's a decent start. I know our ornament collection will probably grow quite a bit as Quin gets older and starts making ornaments for us to hang on the tree!
Sunday: Quin let us sleep in!!!! None of us got up until about 8:00. It felt absolutely wonderful! We had a lazy morning. I fixed banana oatmeal pancakes for breakfast. We made it to church (2 weeks in a row!) and went out to lunch afterwards. Quin and I took a nap together this afternoon. That is a feeling I am really going to miss when he gets older. I love cuddling together on a Sunday afternoon. Joel took him for a walk when he woke up so I could get some work done. I have a little of little things on my plate right now. I am trying to make the most of the next two weeks. I know some people may just be counting down the days until break, but I think we have the opportunity to do some powerful work in this time.
There you have it. Our weekend in in a nutshell. We didn't do everything I wanted to do this weekend, but we were able to find a nice balance of relaxation and fun.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Daycare
Today Joel and I made the very tough decision to transition Quin to daycare. We have absolutely loved having someone come to our home to take care of him for the past few months, but it is time for us to make a change. When we first started thinking about child care I couldn't imagine my little guy laying in a crib all day long. Now that he is more mobile and will probably be walking soon I can imagine him engaging in lots of different kinds of play. Being at a daycare center will give him an opportunity to be out of the house, meet new friends, and be exposed to great early childhood care.
We have decided to go with a Childcare Network center near our home. Quin's teachers are bilingual and do activities during the day in both English and Spanish. The class of children is very diverse and most of the families live near us. Each day the kids play outside, have story time, play in age appropriate centers, sing songs, do science activities, and do some kind of art. Knowing more about pre-k allowed me to more critically evaluate the types of activities they do with the children and I am confident that he is going to get exposure to all the right things.
We won't be starting until after his birthday in early February. I wanted to give our current nanny plenty of notice (we told her today) since she has been so great for our family. We also have about 4 weeks between now and February that we won't need childcare. I really didn't want to have to pay for weeks that we wouldn't be using. I know this will be a big change for our family,but I have no doubt that it is the right decision for us.I'm thankful I was able to make this decision when I was ready and on my own terms. I know not all mothers have this luxury.
We have decided to go with a Childcare Network center near our home. Quin's teachers are bilingual and do activities during the day in both English and Spanish. The class of children is very diverse and most of the families live near us. Each day the kids play outside, have story time, play in age appropriate centers, sing songs, do science activities, and do some kind of art. Knowing more about pre-k allowed me to more critically evaluate the types of activities they do with the children and I am confident that he is going to get exposure to all the right things.
We won't be starting until after his birthday in early February. I wanted to give our current nanny plenty of notice (we told her today) since she has been so great for our family. We also have about 4 weeks between now and February that we won't need childcare. I really didn't want to have to pay for weeks that we wouldn't be using. I know this will be a big change for our family,but I have no doubt that it is the right decision for us.I'm thankful I was able to make this decision when I was ready and on my own terms. I know not all mothers have this luxury.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Big Ten Basketball
I am so happy that basketball season is upon us. In some ways it reminds me of last spring when I was home on maternity leave with Quin. I watched tons of basketball. It was really great. Tonight I've been watching the big ten/acc challenge as Illinois takes on Maryland. Whenever I watch basketball on TV I get the urge to play again. I discovered a couple of days ago that one of the assistants that works at our school is originally form Iowa and I probably played against her at some point in my AAU/high school career.Small world right?
I wonder how my life would have been different if I had been more invested in the sport? It's not that I didn't enjoy playing, but it wasn't my passion. If I had been more invested I could have probably pushed myself to go further. I just didn't have it in me. On the other hand, I wonder what life had been like if I hadn't ever played. Through basketball I learned how to push my body to its limits. I learned how to manage my time when I was being pulled in multiple directions. This skill is definitely serving me well now.
There aren't many feelings as good as the adrenaline rush you get in a close game. But the feeling I get knowing that I am making change for kids is far better. Though I didn't go as far as I could have with the game, I got what I needed from it. I learned valuable life skills that make me a stronger leader today.
I wonder how my life would have been different if I had been more invested in the sport? It's not that I didn't enjoy playing, but it wasn't my passion. If I had been more invested I could have probably pushed myself to go further. I just didn't have it in me. On the other hand, I wonder what life had been like if I hadn't ever played. Through basketball I learned how to push my body to its limits. I learned how to manage my time when I was being pulled in multiple directions. This skill is definitely serving me well now.
There aren't many feelings as good as the adrenaline rush you get in a close game. But the feeling I get knowing that I am making change for kids is far better. Though I didn't go as far as I could have with the game, I got what I needed from it. I learned valuable life skills that make me a stronger leader today.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Boys Club
Today I had the first meeting with my fourth grade boys. We will be meeting every Monday and Friday to read, develop investment in education and promote positive school behaviors. It's really nice for me because I have an opportunity to put my teacher hat back on and really work with some kids. Today's meeting was a good first start. We developed meeting norms and the boys made commitments for behavior for the next 15 days of school before winter break. The boys definitely know what the right things to say are. I hope in our work together we can get them doing the right thing more often. Stay tuned for what happens in my work with these students.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
How is it already Advent?
Joel, Quin and I took the warm temperature as an opportunity to walk to church today. To be honest, it's been a while since we've been there. Between Quin's nap schedule and our work we just have not made it a priority over the past few months. It had become such a low priority that I didn't even realize it was already Advent! Though I should have known - people are getting their Christmas trees, holiday music is on the radio. This year is just flying by and I am barely keeping up with it all.
Today's service was a folk service. The music was great and just enough to get me in the spirit, but not completely over the top. I think that's what I love about Plaza. I find so much peace there. The services are relatively low key and it gives me an hour to just sit and reflect. It doesn't hurt that I also put my child in the hands of a trustworthy teenager and don't have to worry about what he is getting into. I need this time to find my center going into the week. It's one thing I know I can do once a week to get my head back together. Now is just a matter of doing it on a regular basis.
Today's service was a folk service. The music was great and just enough to get me in the spirit, but not completely over the top. I think that's what I love about Plaza. I find so much peace there. The services are relatively low key and it gives me an hour to just sit and reflect. It doesn't hurt that I also put my child in the hands of a trustworthy teenager and don't have to worry about what he is getting into. I need this time to find my center going into the week. It's one thing I know I can do once a week to get my head back together. Now is just a matter of doing it on a regular basis.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Sleep
I feel like all I have wanted to do the past few days is sleep. I've been going to bed when Quin goes to bed and taking at least a little afternoon nap each day. The only problem with this is that life is feeling a little foggy. I'm sure this is exactly what my body needs. I haven't done a great job getting a good night's rest since I started working in August. Before that I wasn't sleeping much because I was at Foundations.The months prior to Foundations Quin wasn't sleeping through the night and I wasn't really sleeping well at the end of my pregnancy. It's probably been almost a year since I really had a good sleep! Thinking about it in those terms makes me feel a lot less guilty for wanting to just lay around and rest!
Moving forward, I wonder how I can do a better job of taking care of myself in this regard. I know it probably means I need to cut out some of the nightly TV watching and allow myself to go to sleep earlier. It also means finding a mental peace so I can sleep soundly. The work will never be finished, but it will still be there tomorrow. How can I get to a point that I feel ok leaving it for another day? I know I don't need to be superwoman, but I can't help feeling like I need to accomplish all of the goals I set for a given day.
Moving forward, I wonder how I can do a better job of taking care of myself in this regard. I know it probably means I need to cut out some of the nightly TV watching and allow myself to go to sleep earlier. It also means finding a mental peace so I can sleep soundly. The work will never be finished, but it will still be there tomorrow. How can I get to a point that I feel ok leaving it for another day? I know I don't need to be superwoman, but I can't help feeling like I need to accomplish all of the goals I set for a given day.
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